Re: Creationists take their challenge to evolu tion theory into theclassroom

["n" <dave () farber net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jonathan S. Shapiro" <shap () eros-os org>
To: <dave () farber net>
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: Creationists take their challenge to evolu tion theory 
into theclassroom


> Dave:
>
> I am struck by the thought that we are reaping the results of our short-
> sightedness in the education process.
>
> There has been a steady decline in the primary and secondary school
> system on critical thinking. We see it at Hopkins. A distressing number
> of our students come in not knowing how to write. The reason they cannot
> write is that they have not been taught the necessary skills of critical
> thought and problem decomposition. In terms of applicant quality,
> Hopkins is among the best in the country. What this implies about
> critical thinking skills in the *average* college applicant across the
> country is very disturbing.
>
> According to last week's New York Times, the few schools that have been
> trying to address this are getting legal challenges from parents. I
> don't have the article in front of me to double check, but I seem to
> recall a statement in one article last week that over 60% of graduating
> high school students have never been required to write even a three page
> paper. (Don't hold me to the 60%, but I recall being distinctly
> surprised and depressed that the number was significantly more than
> half.)
>
> So it is unsurprising to me that the creationists are winning. Having
> systematically failed in our obligation to teach critical thinking
> skills to our children, we should hardly be surprised that they are
> unable to debunk the rhetoric of the creationists or evaluate the danger
> that it represents to our nation's role as a technical leader in the
> world.
>
> There are two things that every country committed to non-rational
> thought has in common:
>
>  1. Not one is a world leader.
>  2. Not one has a functional democracy.
>
> In the wake of Dan Rather's recent speech about the rising influence of
> the armageddonists, perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that the
> creationists don't care if America loses its ability to lead the world,
> or even to engage in technological advance.
>
> I confess that I cannot get very worked up about the fact that the
> creationist/armegeddonist position is fundamentally self-destructive.
> Actually, my reaction is more on the order of "Hey, if you guys really
> want to engage in active social Darwinism on yourselves, how can I help
> your experiments run faster?"
>
> My problem is that they are perfectly willing to take the rest of us
> with them...
>
>
> Jonathan S. Shapiro

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